Levels Of Residential Segregation Research Articles

Residential segregation in two cities in Peru’s southern macro-region

Studies on residential segregation in Peru have privileged the study of the capital city, to the detriment of cities with other scales and contexts. This article analyzes the residential segregation levels and patterns in two Peruvian cities in the southern macro-region: Arequipa and Tacna. Based on data provided by the 2007 and 2017 censuses, synthetic and spatial segregation indicators were analyzed in both cities, taking as reference the educational level of the head of household and calculating the data on the block, census area, and district scales. The results show that inherited segregation patterns are maintained, while at the same time, the growing middle-class sectors are included in the more consolidated working-class settlements. In addition, processes that reinforce segregation were identified, such as the modification of the role of central areas, urban land production for the upper-class areas, and homogeneity of disadvantages in new areas of urban expansion, which are linked, particularly in the city of Arequipa, to the occupation of risk areas. The study suggests that these processes shape a low-scale urban segregation or fragmentation pattern in both cities, which coexists with inherited patterns.

Changes in segregation patterns in medium-sized cities in the state of São Paulo between 2000 and 2010

Brazil underwent political and economic changes that led to a reduction in social inequalities between 2000 and 2010. Studies indicated that during the same period, there was an increase in the level of residential segregation in metropolitan spaces, as opposed to a reduction accompanying the inequalities. This paper contributes to this body of studies, by analyzing residential segregation in medium-sized cities, quantitatively and spatially, during the period between 2000 and 2010. The study aims to quantify the degree of segregation in five medium-sized cities in the state of São Paulo and analyze the evolution of their spatial patterns, via a comparative perspective. The measurement of segregation, using global and local spatial indices, has indicated an increase in residential segregation similar to those identified by studies for metropolitan areas, in which the highest and lowest income groups are markedly the most segregated. However, this was not the case for all cities, an unchanged degree and pattern of segregation were also identified during the same period in one of the cities. These results are discussed within the context of the urban changes that have taken place in medium-sized cities, such as the valorization of real estate in specific sectors of the cities, amidst the continued process of peripheralization of the low-income population.

Socio-spatial analysis of migrant school students according to Bourdieu's capitals in Santiago de Chile (2017–2020)

Chile has experienced a substantial immigration boom in the last 10 years. The urban areas of this nation present high levels of residential segregation, represented in its main city, Santiago. This article presents results of an exploratory analysis of the relationship between residential segregation, immigration rate by educational institutions and changes in school performance. Based on the generation of clusters characterized by cultural, social, economic and symbolic capital, an analysis of the changes in school performance in those schools that received the greatest number of migrants is generated.

The Structure of Pandemic Vulnerability: Housing Wealth, Residential Segregation, and COVID-19 Mortality

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for those with limited economic resources. Extensive research demonstrates the negative relationship between wealth and mortality at both the individual and area levels. In addition, residential segregation has been linked to poor health and greater mortality. Home equity is the largest asset that many Americans own, but residential segregation devalues homes located in Black neighborhoods. Despite the interlocking relationships between wealth, residential segregation, and mortality, it remains unclear how wealth and residential segregation work to predict COVID-19 deaths. Using U.S. Census data and county-level COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University (n = 1164), I deploy median home value as a wealth proxy and negative binomial regression models to interrogate two questions. (1) What is the relationship between home value and COVID-19 deaths? (2) How does the relationship vary by level of residential segregation? Results indicate that COVID-19 mortality is 64 percent greater in the lowest wealth counties than in the wealthiest counties. At average median home value, the most segregated counties with the largest Black populations suffer 28 percent more COVID-19 deaths than similarly situated counties with low levels of residential segregation and small Black populations. This study underscores the importance of accounting for residential segregation in examinations of the well-established relationship between socioeconomic status and health and mortality.

Framing the Residential Patterns of Asian Communities in Three Italian Cities: Evidence from Milan, Rome, and Naples

Today, the interplay between economic inequality, international migration, and urban transformation has raised awareness about segregation and its social implications on a global and European scale. As cities become home to diverse populations with various backgrounds including social, racial, ethnic, and cultural, the proximity of these groups becomes more pronounced. This article explores the residential segregation of four Asian immigrant groups in three major Italian cities: Milan, Rome, and Naples. Using data from the 2011 Italian General Population Census and employing an areal weighted interpolation procedure, the study measures segregation using both traditional two-group indices and multi-group indices that account for the complexities of contemporary societies. The results indicate a north–south disparity, with Naples exhibiting the highest levels of residential segregation. Among the analysed immigrant groups, Bangladeshis and Chinese tended to be more self-segregated, while Filipinos and Sri Lankans were relatively more dispersed. This research underscores the necessity for a nuanced understanding of segregation dynamics and the adoption of appropriate approaches to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the coexistence of diverse groups in urban areas. By contributing to the existing literature on residential segregation in Southern Europe, this study sheds light on the spatial patterns and social dynamics of different ethnic groups in Italian cities.

Towards an equity-centred model of sustainable mobility: Integrating inequality and segregation challenges in the green mobility transition

Urban planners and transportation policy makers around the world are proposing initiatives for greener mobility, particularly by promoting higher urban development densities, active transport modes, and non-auto access to destinations. This Special Issue engages critically with the sustainable mobility and 15-Minute City concepts by outlining an Equitable Sustainable Mobility Model that integrates non-auto accessibility improvements with key daily activity destinations to establish a wider discussion on urban structure, segregation, equity and mobility. The papers collected in this Special Issue reveal that sustainable mobility solutions are only partial when detached from the underlying mechanisms of residential sorting and spatial patterns of daily activity spaces. An equitable shift towards greener mobility needs to (1) address rising levels of residential segregation by promoting neighbourhood-level mixed-income housing, (2) radically shift urban space from automobility to different greener forms of mobility, (3) address not only neighbourhood specific, but also metropolitan-level access challenges to key activity places, (4) focus on integrating broadly accessible and affordable travel modes, particularly active travel (walking and cycling) and public transit, and (5) develop e-mobility solutions that are accessible to diverse user needs and offer flexible inter-neighbourhood coverage.

Age, gender, and cohort in residential segregation: The case of African immigrants in Spain, 2000–2020

AbstractThe composition of the immigrant population by gender and age, and characteristics at the moment of arrival plays an influential role in the levels of residential segregation reached, and in their evolution over time. In Spain, the African immigrant population is notable for a marked gender imbalance, where men outnumber women, and for continuous growth in the number of immigrants over the past two decades. It is also one of the groups presenting the highest levels of segregation. Using data from the Continuous Population Register, this study analyses the residential segregation of this group from the triple perspective of age, period, and cohort for the six main Spanish cities. The results reveal a significant differentiation in segregation levels by sex and age, with lower rates in the more recent cohorts. This perspective offers a dynamic view of segregation indicators and enables better understanding of its future evolution.

Spaces of obesity: Exploring clusters of childhood obesity, residential segregation, and food environment in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile

In 2018, 50.9% of all Chilean children, measured by the "Nutritional Map" of the Ministry of Education, were categorized as overweight or obese, which is evidence of rising obesity rates in Latin America. Discussions on the subject revolve around the tension between agency-determining factors, such as eating and exercise habits, and structural ones, pointing to the correlations between high levels of obesity and poverty. However, there is also a territorial dimension that stands out, especially in cases with high levels of residential segregation, as is the case in many Latin American cities. Here there are potential clusters of more or less obesogenic food environments, where the socioeconomic level, the nutritional status of the sector, and the food supply of the place are correlated. In this article, the spatial dimensions of childhood obesity are mapped, arguing that the segregation of nutritional status overlaps with the nature of multidimensional inequalities in Chilean cities. The study was done by organizing and combining public databases and spatial analysis techniques to create diagnostic maps. The results show a trend towards higher obesity rates as the socioeconomic level of the neighborhood decreases, while food environments vary according to the availability of different combinations of supply (street markets, quantity and size of supermarkets, traditional channels) for each socioeconomic level, suggesting the presence of different types of food environments. The paper concludes with reflections on how the nutritional context has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic and opens a discussion on the role of urban planning in creating nutritional (in)equity conditions.

A Window Into the European City: Exploring Socioeconomic Residential Segregation in Urban Poland

AbstractIn this paper, we build on a long research effort aimed at identifying the specific conditions, functional and structural characteristics of urban areas, that produce different levels of residential segregation across cities. We explore segregation levels in Poland's 87 largest cities, cities with more than 50,000 residents, by measuring indices of dissimilarity relating to socio‐professional status. We then proceed by examining core structural determinants of the revealed segregation levels, including city size, and housing market characteristics. The results suggests that the structural characteristics of urban regions are indeed significant predictors of the level of socio‐spatial disparities in urban Poland. As expected, larger cities are more segregated than the smaller ones; higher shares of public housing also appear to contribute to more pronounced socioeconomic spatial divisions. Intriguingly, the share of new housing stock alone is not related to strong residential segregation.

Even in preschools: analysing the preschool and neighbourhood segregation gap in Swedish municipalities

Abstract Preschool segregation has not been the focus of research efforts to the same extent as compulsory school segregation. This is at least in part a consequence of the lack of large-scale, registry-based data sources on where children live and where they attend preschool. This paper presents a full-population account of discrepancies between preschool segregation and neighbourhood segregation covering the Swedish population. Data includes preschool children as well as their parents’ income, education, ethnic background, and place of residence. Findings indicate that while preschool segregation does not differ from neighbourhood segregation to the same extent as previous research has shown for school segregation, there are systematic differences affecting the level of segregation across Sweden and in various types of municipalities. Studies on school level show segregation by foreign background and income to be most prominent, whilst preschool segregation mostly concerns parents’ educational attainment. Furthermore, the findings show that the geographical distribution of private and public preschools affects levels of segregation. This conclusion supports the general argument that the free-choice reform in the Swedish school system tends to raise levels of school segregation above the levels of residential segregation—even in preschools.

Assessment of Doubly Disadvantaged Neighborhoods by Healthy Living Environment Exposure.

Good access to greenspace and healthy food has commonly been found to be positively associated with health outcomes, despite some studies finding no significant relationship between them. Examining inequalities in accessing greenspace and healthy food among different disadvantaged neighborhoods can help reveal the disadvantaged races/ethnicities in cities with a high level of residential segregation (i.e., population of the same race/ethnicity concentrated in the same neighborhoods). However, existing studies have mostly focused on measuring the inequalities in accessing either greenspace or healthy food alone, which can lead to the inaccurate depiction of disadvantaged neighborhoods in healthy living environments. Therefore, this paper aims at improving the assessment of doubly disadvantaged neighborhoods by considering accessibility to both greenspace and healthy food in the City of Chicago. Our results show that black-majority neighborhoods are the most doubly disadvantaged in terms of exposure to healthy living environments. This study can help guide policymakers to divert more resources towards the improvement of the urban environment for the most doubly disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Is there greater ethnic mixing in residential or workplace spaces?

ABSTRACT While much of the ethnic and racial segregation literature concentrates on residential neighbourhoods, a growing body of research demonstrates how levels of inter-ethnic mixing vary between home and other spaces, including workplace environments. Using alternative population bases from the 2011 Census for England and Wales, we explore how levels of ethnic segregation and diversity compare for working-age people in residential (‘nighttime’), workday (‘daytime’) and workplace (‘employment’) environments. Analyses of Middle Layer Super Output Areas reveal that a larger number of these zones had low residential ethnic diversity than had low workday or workplace diversity. We also find higher levels of residential segregation than workplace segregation for all ethnic groups, including the White British (majority) and minoritised groups. Notable differences in segregation between residential and workplace spaces for the Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups, for example, demonstrate that more commonly applied measures of residential segregation fail to capture the extent of inter-ethnic mixing across spaces, and at different times of the day. Commuting data are analysed to explore the role of daily mobilities in shaping these patterns. The findings nuance understandings of levels of ethnic mixing, and emphasise the need for segregation analyses across multiple spatio-temporal contexts.

Changes in neighborhood environments and the increasing socioeconomic gap in child obesity risks: Evidence from Singapore.

Most empirical research studying the link between neighborhood environments and child obesity risks are conducted in contexts such as the U.S., with pronounced patterns of residential segregation, making it difficult to extrapolate how far built environment characteristics contribute to socioeconomic disparities in obesity risks in less segregated contexts. Using a large national dataset of almost 625,000 students' height and weight data collected at ages 7, 11 and 14, between 2004 and 2015, this paper explores whether differences in eight neighborhood characteristics measuring access to different type of food outlets, parks and other active spaces, and public transport infrastructure might be responsible for socioeconomic differences in child obesity risks in Singapore, a city-state with relatively low levels of residential segregation. Through descriptive analyses we find that socioeconomic disparities in child BMIz in Singapore widened from 2004 onwards. However, while longitudinal regression models with individual and time fixed effects suggest that family socioeconomic status modified the relationship between environmental exposures and BMIz, there does not seem to be a clear, unequivocal relationship between built environment changes and the observed widening of the socioeconomic obesity gap.

Minority groups in the largest cities of Latvia

Spatial segregation of minority ethnic groups is a returning issue in public and political debates across many parts of the world. The degree of spatial concentration and segregation of ethnic minorities in European cities is well documented. However, despite Latvia's diverse migration history and relatively high minority population, particularly in the largest cities, these issues have received scant attention. This study examines the residential patterns of minority ethnic groups, presenting data on the levels and dynamics of urban residential segregation. The study includes five ethnic minorities: Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, and other ethnicities. We adopted a widely used methodology to examine changes in ethnic residential segregation between 2000 and 2019. The information comes from the 2000 census and the population register. We are confident in stating that overall ethnic residential segregation levels do not appear to be increasing. However, there are some differences not only between ethnic groups in the same city, but also between similar groups in different cities. Furthermore, demographic change reinforces both minority representation in established residential patterns and ethnic segregation in urban Latvia as a whole. Certain characteristics of the Latvian context, such as the dominance of owner-occupied dwellings and relatively low residential mobility, may explain the findings.

Student Assignment Policies and Racial and Income Segregation of Schools, School Attendance Zones, and Neighborhoods

Purpose: This article examines the relationship between educational and residential segregation in three school districts with differing approaches to student assignment. Racial and income segregation within school districts is often only examined at the school level, even as school patterns are often related to residential and attendance zone segregation depending on integration policies aimed at decoupling these relationships. Research Method/Approach: Using an innovative data set, the School Attendance Boundary Survey, along with Census and Common Core of Data data, this analysis examines racial and income segregation at the neighborhood, school zone, and school levels in three districts with varied student assignment policies to explore the relationship between districts’ diversity policies and school, attendance zone, and residential segregation. Findings: We find that, despite high residential segregation, educational segregation varies in these three districts. In the two districts that sought to increase diversity in their student assignment policies, educational segregation was lower than in the third district that did not consider diversity, despite similar levels of residential segregation. The findings suggest that district leaders’ use of diversity-focused student assignment policies may be one way to disrupt the link between residential and school segregation. Conclusions: Understanding the segregation of educational boundaries within school districts, and the relationship between school zone segregation and segregation at other geographic scales, offers insights into how district leaders could utilize student assignment policies to reduce racial and income segregation.

Abstract P208: The Differential Impact Of Residential Segregation On Gestational Hypertension Development Among Minority Women

Introduction: Higher levels of residential segregation have been associated with poorer cardiometabolic health profiles among women. Still, it remains unclear whether segregation may differentially impact the development of gestational hypertension (gHTN) among an ethnically-diverse cohort of pregnant women. We used birth record data from 2003-2009 and data from the 2000 US Census to determine whether racial and economic segregation are associated with gHTN among a diverse cohort of child-bearing women in the greater Philadelphia area. Methods: We quantified racial and economic segregation using sociodemographic data from the US Census and the local Getis-Ord (Gi*) spatial statistic. The Gi* produces a spatially-weighted z-score for each census tract reflecting the degree of clustering of racially-similar neighborhoods in an area relative to the surrounding Philadelphia region. We categorized each type of segregation as low (Gi*<0), moderate (Gi*0-1.96), or high (Gi*>1.96), and assigned these to each woman by her census tract of residence. Gestational hypertension was defined in the birth record data as the development of pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia. We used hierarchical generalized linear mixed effect models to obtain risk ratios and differences (per 1000 women) for the relationships between each form of residential segregation and gHTN. All models were stratified by maternal race/ethnicity, and sequentially adjusted for maternal sociodemographics, health behaviors, medical histories, and neighborhood-level characteristics. Results: Our sample consisted of 220,897 Non-Hispanic (NH) Black (26%), NH White (64%), and Hispanic (10%) women, of whom 4% developed gHTN. However, a much greater proportion of NH Black women both developed gHTN and lived in high segregation neighborhoods compared to NH Whites and Hispanics. After adjustment, NH Black women in moderate and high economic segregation areas had 16% higher risk (RR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.03-1.31) and 23% higher risk (RR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.08-1.39) of gHTN, respectively, compared to NH Black women living in low segregation areas. NH Black women in highly racially segregated neighborhoods saw an additional 9 cases of gHTN (per 1000 women) compared to NH Black women living in more racially integrated neighborhoods (RD=8.47, 95% CI: 3.14-13.80). Among NH White and Hispanic women, economic segregation was not associated with gHTN, and only marginally significant findings were observed for racial segregation. Conclusions: In our diverse sample of child-bearing women from the greater Philadelphia area, higher levels of racial and economic segregation were associated with greater risk of gHTN among NH Black women. Future work should seek to delineate the specific pathways by which neighborhoods differentially impact individual level cardiovascular health based upon race.

School segregation of migrants and their descendants in a dual school system: The case of Barcelona

AbstractThis study analyses levels of school segregation of students of immigrant origin in a city of the south of Europe, namely, Barcelona, which is characterised by a rapidly increasing growth of international immigration in recent decades and moderate or even low levels of residential segregation of immigrants. Besides its analysis of nationality and origin, its main contribution is that it explores a generational typology classifying students according to their place of birth, year of arrival and origin of progenitors, thus revealing different degrees of school segregation in keeping with each student's migratory history. Moreover, in the context of a dual school system (public and private), segregation is analysed by breaking it down in accordance with state or private ownership of the school. The results indicate a marked degree of segregation among students of the first generation and also among descendants of immigrants, showing how the dual school system is responsible for a significant part of the segregation, and that comparison of residential and school segregation always shows that the latter is greater.

SCAN360: A Resource for a 360-Degree View of Cancer Prevention, Risk, and Survival.

SCAN360, an interactive web platform aiming to provide a “360-degree view” of factors that drive cancer, calculates and integrates several measures of cancer burden from the Florida Cancer Data System, the state’s cancer registry, from 2012 to 2016 with cancer risk factors, clinical factors, and social determinants of health on multiple levels of geography — ranging from the entire state to the neighborhood. Integrating various sources of data, the web platform visualizes numerous indicators, including sociodemographic characteristics, cancer histology and staging, risk behaviors, screening behavior, environmental factors, hazardous sites, health insurance access, prevalence of potential comorbidities, housing characteristics, and levels of residential segregation, through maps and easy-to-interpret graphs. By walking through an example of a practical use, we show that SCAN360 provides data that are easily accessible to public health professionals, decision makers, and researchers and can assist them with identifying potential drivers of cancer burden on a localized level.

COVID-19 cases in US counties: roles of racial/ethnic density and residential segregation

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate how racial/ethnic density and residential segregation shape the uneven burden of COVID-19 in US counties and whether (if yes, how) residential segregation moderates the association between racial/ethnic density and infections. Design We first merge various risk factors from federal agencies (e.g. Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) with COVID-19 cases as of June 13th in contiguous US counties (N = 3,042). We then apply negative binomial regression to the county-level dataset to test three interrelated research hypotheses and the moderating role of residential segregation is presented with a figure. Results Several key results are obtained. (1) Counties with high racial/ethnic density of minority groups experience more confirmed cases than those with low levels of density. (2) High levels of residential segregation between whites and non-whites increase the number of COVID-19 infections in a county, net of other risk factors. (3) The relationship between racial/ethnic density and COVID-19 infections is enhanced with the increase in residential segregation between whites and non-whites in a county. Conclusions The pre-existing social structure like residential segregation may facilitate the spread of COVID-19 and aggravate racial/ethnic health disparities in infections. Minorities are disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus and focusing on pre-existing social structures and discrimination in housing market may narrow the uneven burden across racial/ethnic groups.

Comparing Residential Segregation of Migrant Populations in Selected European Urban and Metropolitan Areas

Residential segregation is a well studied subject especially after the publication of the pioneering and seminal contribution of Duncan and Duncan (Am Sociol Rev 41:210–217, 1955). Considering the theoretical and methodological advances made since then, the contribution endeavours in describing and understanding the differences in residential segregation in an international perspective using 2011 population census data. The contribution analyses the residential segregation of migrants (here foreign citizens or foreign born) usually resident in the 493 Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) of selected European Union countries. The analysis is conducted using 2011 census data on regular grid (100 mt × 100 mt) provided by the Data Challenge on ‘Integration of Migrants in Cities’ (D4I) and refers to all migrants and to two sub groups (EU 28 and non EU 28). In a first step the levels and spatial patterns of residential segregation across all FUAs of France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are analysed. Particular attention is paid to identifying differences and similarities between the FUAs, among and within the single countries. In a further analysis the relationship between the level of residential segregation in the metropolitan FUAs of the selected EU countries and contextual demographic and socio-economic factors are investigated. Results indicate that, even if, the larger metropolitan areas attract more migrants, the highest levels of residential segregation are observed in smaller urban areas. Moreover important national peculiarities emerge clearly with countries of northwestern Europe recording lower levels of residential segregation compared to the Southern European countries. Finally, residential segregation shows clear relationships with some contextual factors, especially the ones related to economic well-being and the labour market in a positive manner.